Breaktime! A Day of Relaxation!
Previously on My Inferno: Sadow and company arrive in Lake Wintershire, only to find, much to Sadow's disappointment, that none of the residents have heard of Akihiro. But before all hope is lost, a mysterious spear-wielding Brittannian noble named Creed duels Sadow for information on the whereabouts of a Holy Relic known as the Holy Grail. After a comical snow fight and introduction, Creed informs Sadow that Akihiro is a Mercenary leader joining Brittannia's cause; a Great Crusade against the impregnable Kusha. Now Creed leads the group back to the Brittannian capital of Engeland, where Sadow hopes to find Akihiro. But to what end...? thumb|300px|right|Opening Sunny Side of Life Uriel smiled beamingly, her hand shading her eyes as she stared off at a distant town "Oi, Sadow! Lookie lookie! Is that Engeland?" Sadow answered sternly "Of course not. That tiny thing? Pffft... Engeland is huge. Bigger than you could imagine. That town wouldn't be a portion of Engeland. But we should make a stop for the day to relax and-" Uriel clasped her hands together and beamed up at Sadow "Go to a spa?!" Sadow looked a little creeped out by her excitement and energy "We don't even know if they have a spa..." Uriel hugged Sadow tightly "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you Sadow!" With each "thank you" she shook him around over her, demonstrating remarkable strength. Sadow struggled "Wah! Put me down!" Uriel smiled "Don't worry, Sadow, I'll fly you there~" Sadow's eyes widened fearfully "No, Uriel, you don't understand!" She ignored him and put him in a Full Nelson, flapping her different-sized wings hard and taking off, Sadow still struggling. "I'm deathly afraid of-" She jumped off the cliff, fluttering her wings and carrying him in the direction of the city. "-'HEEEIGHTS'!" He clutched Uriel's sides tightly and held on for dear life, his teeth clenching and his eyes widening as he stared down at the trees below. Uriel's armoured legs kicked about as she tried to support Sadow's weight and his change in position "Sadow! Let go! I can't carry you like this!" Sadow couldn't hear her and continued to stare at the ground, completely petrified. With loud screams, they both crashed against the walls of the city, tumbling off like crushed bugs and landing with a thud on the hard ground. Sadow was laying on her suggestively, both unnable to move due to the pain they were in. Baldr, Pandora, Creed, Shade, and Metharme reached the city gates by the time they had landed. Baldr announced dryly "We're here." Pandora smiled cheerfully "Hurray! How was your flight, Sadow?" Sadow's angered words were muffled by Uriel's cleavage as he stood up quickly, realizing where he was positioned. Uriel got up, rubbing her head "Ooouch... Hey! We're here!" Uriel smiled as she entered the hot spring resort at the edge of town. Staring into the water and seeing her own reflection, she frowned, looking sadly at herself. She felt her small wing slowly "Still not growing, huh?" Grimacing, she started to take off her shirt but noticed, at the end of the room she was in, was a hole with an eye looking through it. Running into the room angrily, she comically yelled "Hey! Get out of here you sick peeping tom!" The man who was spying on her held up his hands defensively "Look, I was just-" Uriel smiled brightly and pointed to the ground "Oh look! Teeth!" The pervert looked down curiously "Teeth...?" As he looked down, Uriel reared back a clenched fist. A loud banging sound was heard, followed by a splash from the man landing in the warm water. Uriel wiped off her hands with each other while leaving the room, her chin held high and her eyes closed "Hmph." It was a bright day out. Pandora decided to stroll around town with Baldr, sight-seeing. She sipped her orange juice filled with ice from a straw while glancing at the many different houses and shops. People stared at Baldr in fear and shock at how large he was. As they passed an alleyway, Pandora idly entered it without saying a word, trying to lose her travelling guardian to be more free. When he noticed she wasn't there, Baldr panicked, muttering "Oh dear..." Pandora found a man in a dark coat with short blonde hair, with bangs long enough to conceal his eyes. He smirked at her "You shouldn't travel alone, little girl. Bad people lurk everywhere." Pandora frowned at him dissaprovingly "I'm not just some little girl, you know. I can take care of myself." The blonde-haired man grinned wide eerily "Spirited little one." He patted her head like a child, aggravating her to no end. He greeted casually, one of his hands in his pockets "They call me Loki. What's your name?" She murmured "Pandora..." Loki resumed his original stance of leaning against the town wall "Nice ta' meetcha'. Where you from?" She answered more plainly this time "Olympus." He nodded "The Trade Center, I see." She asked before sipping her juice once again "Where are you from?" He shrugged, still smiling brightly "Here and there. Care to hangout?" She frowned and looked back "Well, I kind of need to be with someone." He tilted his head "A friend? A boyfriend? A brother?" She shook her head "He is my guardian." Loki nodded "Ah ah... I see... Well what's a few minutes of your day gonna kill, huh?" Grimacing, she turned back to him "Well... Alright." He smirked and patted her head, ushering her next to him as they walked along "Y'know, you're alright, kid." Pandora corrected "I'm not a kid, I'm seventeen." Loki laughed "You look to be about fifteen!" "PANDORA! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Baldr shouted loudly. As he shouted, some children hid behind their parents fearfully. He prepared to volly another call "PANDOR-" Before he could finish, a young girl tugs on his leather pant-leg "Please, sir, could you help me? You look like a big, strong guy." Baldr blushed down at her slightly by the compliment "What do you need help with, little girl?" She answered with a pleading look "I need help carrying my bags..." She gestured behind her to a pile of large travelling bags filled completely with clothes. Baldr was astonished that one girl could buy so many clothes. "Well... I suppose I could..." She jumped for joy and took his large hand "Yay! Thank you so much! My name is Mary and I just have a few places to stop by before we reach my house." Baldr nodded while lifting the heavy bags, thinking to himself "Remember, Baldr, Metharme's Cupcake..." An Obsession of Profession As Baldr thought that to himself, Metharme sneezed. Creed clapped congratulatingly "Good work, Metharme. You mimicked a human sneeze." Metharme smiled back at him but before she could say anything, the door to the hair salon they were conveniently standing in front of burst open, an Android of similar design to metharme skipping out happily "Sweet Census! You're perfect!" He took Metharme's hands and stared into her eyes, smiling brightly "You are utterly perfect, my dear." Without questioning him, Metharme simply replied monotonely "I know." Creed and Sadow were terrified by the sudden, unexpectedly dramatic arrival of this new Android. Sadow thought to himself "Oh great... Another one... And this one is far more jittery than Metharme." They heard a loud banging noise within the store and hurriedly entered, finding the male Android's head slammed into a footlocker. Metharme stared down at him blankly "I do not like to be shown where to walk." Sadow and Creed's eyes widened, their jaws dropping "Metharme! What have you done?! Do you know how much an Android costs?! We may have to pay for this!" She shrugged casually, uncaring as the male Android pryed himself out, his hair messed up. Within seconds, he managed to get it back to normal with a comb and some hair spray. Metharme looked startled that he was still up and about "Android, I demand to know how you are still operational. You shouldn't be functioning after that hit." The Android smiled brightly "I'm A J8F9 Model. The name's Paphos." Metharme huffed angrily "I've never even heard of such a model." He smirked "We're new. Now please take a seat!" Metharme was startled by Paphos sudden strapping her to a barber's chair in front of a large mirror. Sadow and Creed watched on, trying not to laugh the entire time, as Paphos styled Metharme's hair like a Gaustian Noblewoman's. Held high and suspended. She looked highly displeased as Paphos nuzzled his head against a can of hairspray labeled "Census". He stated "Ah... My sweet Census and Knox... They are what makes my style so artistic..." Metharme demanded "Sadow... Creed... Help me..." Paphos smiles "I've just thought of a different style you might like, my dear! Oh I am so happy to have you here!" Shade walked along the sidewalk mildly, bumping into another figure with long, dark hair. The dark haired man he bumped into gruffed "Watch where you're going, mister..." As he turned to face him, Shade's eye widened in surprise. The dark haired man, too, looked shocked to see him. He muttered "Shade...?" Shade replied "Father?" His expression didn't change as another dark-haired butler carrying a large coffin-looking instrument. The butler looked slightly surprised to Shade, but his expression generally didn't change "Master Shade? What are you doing here?" Shade grimaced "Stopping by. I'm travelling with a group of people bound for Engeland." His father nodded and turned to the butler "Jenks, take my bags to our room." Jenks nodded and carried his instrument as well as two duffel bags into the inn they were next to. Shade turned to his father "Why are you here, father?" He looked sternly at his son and replied "We are visiting on behalf of the Kagekyo family as a political appearance. But tell me, Shade. Are these travelers you are following bound for the war effort? So you'll be travelling over seas to fight in the Crusade?" Shade smiled embarrassedly "I don't know that yet, father... But I promise, I will strive to return home in one piece." His father nodded "Good. Your mother worries about you often. But the traditions are clear: all adult Kagekyo boys who haven't been birthed to guard the family name take up arms against the world for money. We are a Mercenary family, afterall." After a long silence, he sighed "If things do get too crazy, Shade, do not hesitate to use it." Shade closed his eyes and nodded "I understand. My Goldeneye hasn't been used in a long time, and I keep it charged by the sun's rays daily." At this, he parted the hair over his right eye, revealing the iris to be yellow. Through his vision, he could see everything slowed down and extremely, perfectly concentrated. Every movement made by the citizens, every rustling leaf blown across the street, every clock chiming, every baby crying, every angry shopkeeper arguing with his customer over prices, every blink of an eye, every cough, every sneeze, every belch, every laugh. He saw everything in that single, golden eye. Parting his hair over it again, he smirked "You shifted your feet three times and blinked five, father." He smirked back, proud of his families secret ability "Good. Just be sure to not let anyone see that power. If they do, they may seek to take it. You can not let that happen, Shade." Shade nodded in understanding "I won't, father. Trust me." He turned "I do. I just hope your older brother doesn't do anything reckless." Shade chuckled lightly "Knowing Echo, he probably is already sneezing while in a heavy weighed fight thanks to us talking about him." His father smirked and patted his son's shoulder "Take care, my son. Hopefully we will meet again. And for God's sake, write us once in a while. You're mother rants on about how she misses you and wonders if you're even alive half the time!" He blushed and scratched his cheek with his index finger "I-I will, father... Don't worry..." Pandora skipped along rocks in a creek while Loki sat on a large boulder, resting next to it. He relaxed as the warm sun bathed him in it's bright rays. She asked while skipping along the rocks "You a prince or something? What's with the crown on your head?" Loki grinned, taking off his sparkling silver crown "Somewhat. But that was long ago..." She tilted her head, one leg balancing on a wobbling rock "How old are you, Loki?" He smirked and leaned back, laying on his back with his hair covering his eyes "Old enough..." She reached him and sat next to him on the boulder "It's lovely... Can I see it?" He passed it to her and she put it on her head, smiling back at him "Now I'm a Princess." He smirked "Tell me, Pan-Pan, why are you on the road?" She smiled, looking away "I'm following someone." Loki asked, still staring up into nothingness "Someone you're fond of?" She nodded "Yeah..." After a long silence, Loki stood up. He plucked the crown off her head and adjusted it onto his, smiling down at her "One day, you will be the end of the world." Pandora tilted her head, cocking an eyebrow upward. "What? What does he mean? Is this a joke?" Loki turned and walked off "...Later." He waved slightly as he left, leaving Pandora stunned and confused. "Surely it was a joke. But, still... what a confusing character... Loki..." It was dark out when Baldr and Mary reached her house. Her mother hugged her tightly on arrival "Thank you, sir, for keeping her safe!" Mary smiled up at her "Yeah, big brother Baldr showed some bullies from school what for, didn't ya' Baldr?" He scratched his chin "They wouldn't let us pass to go shopping in a certain store, so I hung them on a clothes' line to dry after dunking them in a water bucket." She put her hands on her hips, frowning "Was it that mischievous Phillip again? Tch, such a troublemaker... But regardless, thank you so much, Mr. Baldr. You are truly a kind and kindred soul for just helping our daughter without even knowing us. Won't you please come in for dinner?" Baldr shook his head "N-No, thank you. I must meet up with my group. We should be leaving soon." Mary smiled and hugged his large leg "Take care, Baldr." He blushed, not knowing what to say. Though he noted how nice it felt to help out this person. He felt like good, and people were ostracizing him no longer. Now, he had to find Pandora and meet up with the group. Sadow and Creed were a little tipsy. They had left soon after Paphos started trying more creative, ridiculous makeup designs. He even comically chased them out of his store with a broom when they made a crack about his style. Going across the street, they found a small pub where they decided to stop by. Now they started to play drinking games involving things they have or have not done. "I've never- 'hick' -toured Burlin." Sadow took a drink, having done that before. "I've never been hit by an Android in a store." Creed laughed and took a swig, having been struck on the head by Paphos' broom while they were in the store. Metharme and Paphos stood at the top of the store, gazing up at the moon. He offered "Since you don't have a home, you're more than welcome to live here, if you want. My master is kind, albeit old." She shook her head "Even if I wanted to stay here I couldn't. I belong to the Olympian girl, a travelling companion to the white-haired one. So, in essence, I am owned by him as well." Paphos closed his eyes and nodded "Very well but the offer still stands if you're ever in town." Metharme smiled and hugged him unexpectedly "Thank you." He looked down at her, awkwardly confused as to what to do "What... are you doing?" She smiled and added "I'm working on being more human. This is called a hug." His arms slowly embraced her in a hug. "Ah... A hug..." As the group rejoined in the town square, Sadow looked around "Where is- 'hick' -Uriel?" They heard her voice grumbling "Here I am..." She was soaking wet with a towel stolen from the spa, wrapped around her head "I had to have my clothes ON when I bathed thanks to the fact that only peeping toms went there. It was disgusting. My day sucked!" Pandora smiled reassuingly "Well hey, at least we're on the road again and bound for Engeland. We'll be there tommorow morning, right Creed?" Even as he was tipsy, Creed was still functional in thought processing and agreed "Pan is right. We'll be there by morn, so let's head out everyone." Nodding in agreement, they set off. Sadow stared at the moon and thought to himself "Tommorow... We meet once more... Akihiro..." Preview Next chapter, the group arrive in Engeland at last! Sadow reunites with Akihiro, and a shocking discovery is made. Will Sadow abandon his original mission? Find out in the next chapter of My Inferno!